


it's complicated

by sympa (orphan_account)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crack Treated Seriously, Drunkenness, M/M, also weird plot shit, anyways here is also this really cool rare pair, just me messing around after i finally cured my writers block, like honestly i think my portrayl of these two characters changed a lot over the summer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-16 19:01:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8113864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/sympa
Summary: in which jihoon finds out his hot new neighbour is not only hot but can sing





	1. one

It’s 3 AM in the morning when a loud, blaring noise sounds off in the middle of Jihoon’s apartment, his body jolting straight up and eyes are forced to open, the noise blasting off in his ear. He makes a feeble attempt to crawl out of bed, clawing at his clothes to find something suitable to wear. This is not how a famous songwriter should live. But this is his reality, getting up in the middle of the night in a run-down apartment and muttering curses at his landlord for installing shitty fire alarms. Jihoon finally puts on his pants, and drags himself to his bathroom, turning the faucet on and splashing a handful of cold water on his face. He doesn’t bother to dry it off with a towel, and prominently snatches his keys from the bedside table, and walks out of his apartment room, face still dripping.

As soon as he steps outside, he can see that no one else has bothered to go outside. The fire alarms go off every few weeks, everyone’s basically used to it by now. Jihoon’s not (obviously), even if he has lived in the shitty apartment for a few years. He has enough money to get a better room across from the studio, but he’s been planning on saving it. For something special- he knows it gonna come up one day. Leaning against the wall, he starts to doze off. God- he needed sleep. It was either that or go back inside and drink 15 cups of coffee. He hated coffee (and tea was not a better substitute.)

Jihoon’s eyes snap open as the faint noise of someone unlocking a door is heard over the alarms (which have still not stopped ringing), and Jihoon turns his head to see a tall man (okay so everyone was tall to him) with messy, brown hair standing in the doorway, wearing only a pair of boxers and nothing more. Jihoon stares for a second, feeling his hands begin to numb up. He hasn’t seen this man before, nor had he remembered anyone living next to him. What a surprise. You’d think that he would’ve seen someone as hot as him before.

A small yawn escapes the man’s mouth, and his eyes dart towards Jihoon. Looking away, Jihoon starts to fidget with a loose string dangling from his shirt, twisting it here and there, pulling at it in efforts to get it off. They’re the only ones in the hallway, and it’s a bit awkward, you see. A few minutes pass, and it’s obvious no one is going to say anything. Still staring at the ground, Jihoon hears a click from his left side, and a small bang. He turns his head to see that the man is gone, and just like that, Jihoon’s heart stops racing. He decides that no one’s going to come and turn the goddamn alarm off, so he also heads back, grumbling about the bad management and why no one had ever bothered to introduce him to his new neighbour.

**…**

“Fuck this job.” Jihoon swears under his breath, fidgeting with his bag as he shoves sheets of notes into it, sliding it over his shoulders and fumbling with his keys. After getting the door open, he tumbles out of the apartment, trying his best not to trip and make a fool of himself. His workplace is a reasonable time away, if you don’t count how long it takes for the bus to arrive and the enormous amounts of people that crowd the bus. Thank god he looks like a child- he always gets an empty seat because of that.

Jihoon turns to his left side almost immediately, as if he expects the known stranger to be standing there again. And he is- this time, fully clothes, and his hair combed back so his face is now visible. Jihoon would like to say that that’s a good thing, but honestly it just makes his cheeks hurt. He quickly turns his head to the other direction, taking huge lunges towards the stairs. He doesn’t bother saying hello to his neighbour, as he’s a bit too embarrassed to.

After waiting for the bus (a long 10 minutes), Jihoon realizes that the mystery man is also on the bus, earphones in his ears, holding a small book, which appears to read ‘The Little Prince’. Below the Korean, there’s a few foreign characters that are too small for Jihoon to read from his seat at the end of the bus. Besides, there’s too many people. It would be a waste of time.

The bus stops and a few people stumble from the sudden lunge. It’s his stop, and he makes a mental note to tip the driver for getting to the stop earlier than usual. Dragging his bag behind him, Jihoon heads towards the huge glass building in the middle of the street. It’s shiny and new, and draws in your attention as soon as you get there. Out of the corner of his eye he can see the man also getting off the bus, putting away his book and taking out his earphones. Fuck- was he following Jihoon?

No. It couldn’t be. He was just being paranoid. He also made a mental note to stop being dramatic. They had just ‘met’, it would be stupid for him to follow Jihoon.

But he doesn’t let go of the suspicion, as he sees the other trailing behind him, dull eyes staring off into space. Jihoon nervously laughs to himself, receiving awkward glances from people walking down the busy roads. Finally he arrives to the building, pulling open the heavy door with a struggle. Suddenly the door feels a bit lighter, and Jihoon looks up to see the same man holding open the door, popping a piece of gum into his mouth. Jihoon wants to vomit.

“Oh. Thanks.” He manages to mutter, slipping into the building while the man follows after him, taking a sharp left turn and disappearing into the many hallways that line the floor. Jihoon’s confused on why the man’s even going into the recording rooms, but that isn’t his problem. He takes the elevator to the top floor, where his horrid boss stays most of the time. Seungcheol isn’t that bad, but it seems as if he’s married to his own job. Jihoon has tried to get him to go on dates, get out, actually walk around town for once, but all he does is shake his head, complaining that Jihoon isn’t filling his quota.

Fuck his quota.

Tumbling onto is desk with a dramatic pose, Jeonghan snickers as he walks pass the table, putting a few papers on his chest. “Here are a few drafts I found in the shredder bin. They were pretty good, look over them again.” He smiles at the smaller man, a devilish grin on his face. Jihoon squints at him, 100% positive that the man’s up to something.

“Why were you even looking through the shredder bin?” Jihoon says, picking up the papers and lazily looking through them. They’re ugly songs, beats uneven, a mess. He throws them all into the recycle bin near the table, finally sitting up and kicking Jeonghan in the back.

“Ah-“ Jeonghan screeches, whipping his face around so he can face the man. “What was that for?”

Jihoon shrugs, contemplating if he should kick the other’s dick or shins. Both are tempting enough.

A small groan comes from Jeonghan. “Whatever. Seungcheol’s coming here any minute now, so I recommend you get off the desk. He’ll probably want a few copies of your latest works- so be on your best behavior. He didn’t tell me anything else. Have fun.” He waves it off, entering the elevator and is quickly sent down (apparently to the 3rd floor. _That_ floor.)

Seungcheol arrives immediately as Jeonghan leaves, a pen in his mouth, his face scrunched up and staring at his phone. If it wasn’t for the fact that there was a writing tool in his mouth, he would’ve looked quite professional.

“Oh- there you are Jihoon.” He starts off, acting surprised as if he was looking for the man all day. What a load of bullshit. “I was just looking for you. We have a new trainee actually. Just casted him a few weeks ago. You should go check him out, test his singing skills, the gist.” He continues, placing down a few items, the pen still in his mouth. “We’re planning on debuting him in a few months. He’s already had a few years of practice from other agencies, so I think he’s all set.” He raises an eyebrow, “Got it?”

Jihoon nods feebly, taking the items off his desk and scans them quickly. He doesn’t bother to read the name of the new trainee, and just assumes that he’ll be introduced later. “Yeah. Whatever. I’ll go down in a few.” He nonchalantly says. “Oh- also Seungcheol, Jeonghan went to floor 3.” Jihoon can see Seungcheol blush before heading out.

After a few more moments of incoherent mumbling and walking around his office, Jihoon finally decides that it’s probably the right time to meet the trainee. He takes the elevator down, careful not to press the godforsaken ‘3’ button. The last time he had, it was already too late to cancel it. The images were still burned into his mind.

And so he arrives at the recording studio, which has the best padding on the walls, so it’s suitable for singing. He’s a bit surprised to see no one there, and assumes that he’s just a bit early (or that Seungcheol was merely tricking him, as he always was.) But Jihoon shrugs it off, not letting doubt get the best of him. A few seconds later, the company’s PR director, Soonyoung (Jihoon despises Soonyoung- not in a bad way, but because he gets paid better, obviously), enter through the door. In his hands are stacks of files, a pen tucked in his ear, and face full of stress. It makes him look horrifyingly unattractive, Jihoon thinks.

The person who trails behind him shocks Jihoon, but what was he expecting- a dog? No, it’s the new neighbour. He assumes the man’s name is ‘Junhui’ judging from the name card on his shirt. He looks a bit fashionable, now that Jihoon has inspected him a bit more. A few components of Seoul’s latest street trends are visible on his body, mixed in with a few vintage items. The cardigan he’s wearing looks like something Jihoon’s grandmother would wear, though.

A loud cough comes from Soonyoung, Jihoon turning around and looking at him in disgust. The man sheepishly apologizes, and turns to face Junhui.

“Ah yes. Jihoon, this is Wen Junhui. He’s our newest trainee and is from China. I think you know what to do, so I’ll leave now.” He smiles with a business-esque vibe to it. Jihoon hates that smile. It always makes him feel like he’s going to get mugged sooner or later.

The room is suddenly quiet now that Soonyoung has left, and they’re both awkwardly standing there. Jihoon clasps his hands together, the sound much louder than expected. “WELL.” He states, running a hand through his hair, but stopping midway, realizing he could mess up 100 years’ worth of hairspray and diligence. So his hair plops back into place, an awkward smile plastered onto his face. “Let’s start with warmups, shall we?”

A few hours pass by, and Jihoon is delighted. No not delighted- pleasured? Was there even a right word to describe the feeling? Well, Wen Junhui’s voice was angelic. It was as if angels had sent down this beautiful specimen of a man to spread joy wherever he went. Okay maybe Jihoon was acting like a giddy schoolgirl but never mind that. Junhui was a delight to hear.

In walks in Seungcheol, whose tie is messed up and looks a bit ruffled. “Oh! You’re done, finally.” He grins (he looks stupid when he does), and Junhui always smiles at him, before walking out the door. “Well that was a bit rude…” He mutters, turning his head to look back at the door before focusing his attention at Jihoon. “How did it go?” He asks, plopping down in a chair next to the huge monitors fastened on the wall.

Jihoon takes a deep breath. “I want him.” He plainly states, exaggerating the ‘want’ just to see how Seungcheol reacts.

And Seungheol reacts exactly how Jihoon wants him to. Disgusted, mortified, anything that could be described as _grossed out_.

“You idiot.” Jihoon curses, whacking the man on the head. “What do you think this place is? A fucking strip club? No. I want to write pieces for him you idiot. I can be his mentor.” He huffs, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. He finds it a bit funny that Seungcheol is now embarrassed. He’s know the man since primary school, both of them insufferable. Seungcheol had met Jeonghan a few years ago, and now he was reduced to a gentle mess.

“Whatever. It was fine. Splendid! Magnificent! Now please, do tell me, how was floor 3?” Jihoon coyly smiled, leaving a red Seungcheol fidgeting with his tie.


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you mean this is a filler chapter ahhahaaha i dont know what you're talking about????

It was a wonder how Jihoon ended up in a pet store arguing with Seokmin about a puppy. It was a strange thing now that he thought about it some more. Of course, he wasn’t worried about his coworker getting the puppy. No, no. He wasn’t going to lose the small animal to a sorry excuse of a vocal trainer (but really, he was horrible- every time he sang high notes it sounded like a whale was dying somewhere). Jihoon was too cool for that. He had a reputation to uphold.

And that’s how he ended up paying at least 600000 won for a goddamn puppy. Oh- Jeonghan was going to find this amusing in the morning.

“I can’t believe you actually did that. I was bluffing on most parts.” Seokmin muttered as they both left the shop. Jihoon’s hands were filled with various items, consisting of a cage, bags of food and various toys. Seokmin was helping him carry the small puppy (which they had both named Caramel, in correspondence to its warm, caramel-like fur) which had taken a great liking to burying it’s snout in Seokmin’s arms. This didn’t bother Jihoon at all- ~~just kidding it did. He wanted to punch the other.~~ Besides, the puppy would be staying with Jihoon for the rest of its life.

“Well I’m a very competitive person.” He bites back, voice muffled by the amounts of essentials in his arms. They end up walking back to Jihoon’s apartment, Seokmin helping set up the various amounts of equipment that Jihoon somehow thought was necessary (it definitely wasn’t) and Jihoon playing around with puppy and smiling like an idiot. Good times, good times.

After a few hours of getting bit and scolding his coworker instead of his dog, Jihoon decides that they should both go out for drinks. Because why not. It’s a Friday after all, and all he wants to do now is get a bottle full of vodka and down it.

They do, and a few hours later Jihoon comes back to his apartment and almost breaks his vocal cords screaming.


	3. two 1/2

Two seconds later Jihoon has successfully kicked on his neighbours’ door enough times that the man actually responds, answering the door with the same messy bed head as he had donned the previous day. Jihoon stares at the other for a moment, almost squinting. Why the hell was his neighbour so attractive? There was no time to dwell on that- his fucking puppy was missing and he was too drunk to find it himself. There was no way that he’d be able to get any progress done without someone sober helping him stand straight.

Jihoon wastes no time to talk. “Holy shit my puppy is missing and I just bought her today oh my god you have to help me I am way too wasted for this.” He manages to breathe out, clutching the wall for support. The man seems to inspect Jihoon for a second, before turning his back to glance at something. His face is expressionless, and doesn’t give anything away. Jihoon’s eyes follow him into the man’s apartment, which seems much better kept and tidier than his own. There’s a few modern art pieces displayed in the hall, and a handful of vases and other decorations sitting on the coffee table in the living room. And suddenly Jihoon hears it. A small bark.

The sudden realization that his neighbour has kidnapped his dog comes so quickly, that Jihoon has no time to react. The man quickly tries to shut the door, but thankfully Jihoon’s foot is stuck in the doorway.

“Fuck-“ He screeches, as the door slams into his foot. “You bitch! Give me back my fucking dog!” He gets out, prying the door open, slamming it open once he gets a grip on it. Surprisingly none of the other residents had come to see what all the commotion was about. Jihoon swears he can hear Junhui trying to explain himself, but only mutters come out. A sudden anger takes control of Jihoon and he finds his hands around Junhui’s beautiful, beautiful neck, trying his best to strangle him to the floor while the other lays on the carpet, trying to extract Jihoon’s hands.

“Hear me out.” Junhui manages to choke out (one of the few words he’s said to Jihoon since their little practice session), very romantic. The man finally loosens his grip on Junhui’s neck, but not enough to get him free. “I’m not trying to steal your dog. I actually found her in the hallway.” He says this calmly, but there’s some fear in his eyes. “You can have her back. She’s cute, you know?” A small smirk taints his expression, and Jihoon has to resist slapping him.

Jihoon’s hands relax, and he’s out of his straddle. “Dear lord.” He grumbles to himself, watching a small puppy bounce into the room, a dopey smile on her face. “I hate this. Why do I even let myself do these things.” He picks the puppy up, still complaining about how his life is _oh so_ horrible and how he could be hanging out with dozens of models by now but **_no_** \- he’s stuck in a rundown apartment with an adorable yet stupid puppy that can somehow unlock doors and his own sexual confusion to worry about and- Sorry. Was that too much?

Junhui just stares. It doesn’t seem like he’s listening, just focusing on Jihoon’s face. The shorter male keeps on rambling, making ecstatic hand movements here and there. Junhui doesn’t mind. It fact he kind of enjoys it. The younger is cute when he does this, and it’s funny to watch him complain about how his boss somehow has a better sex life than him even if he’s locked in his office 24/7. How funny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I STILL NEED A GODDAMN PROOF READER
> 
> also this was def. a filler chapter okay i just needed to get that out there
> 
> edit: why the heckie are there 2 notes i did not ask for this


	4. three

“Let me take you out and get some coffee.” Junhui suddenly announces after another practice period with Jihoon. It’s quite sudden, as they had just finished and usually both of them are silent when packing up (thanks to the incident a week ago). They had both grown used to each other in a musical sense, but hadn’t really said anything normal to each other. It was a weird relationship. There were some feelings that were better not described. This was one of them. As soon as the man says those 9 words, Jihoon whips his head around, and gawks at the other.

A few incoherent stammers come out of his mouth, hand still inside his bag, pulling out his keys for the practice room. It’s only a few seconds before Jihoon composes himself back up (like a proper artist, a matter of fact).

“I don’t like coffee; I like tea better.” He dismissively says. It’s obviously a lie. He hates tea and coffee. He hates anything with excessive amounts of caffeine. Caffeine-free never makes him feel better about it. There’s always a lingering taste of chemicals and artificial flavoring that sits on his tongue when he drinks it. His childhood friends would call him picky. He called himself smart. Jihoon didn’t understand why he had rejected the offer, though. Was he scared? Embarrassed? Maybe the latter. After all, he had tried to kill his neighbour over a small misunderstanding. Oh well. Things happened.

They both stood in the same spots for a long time. It was horribly quiet and perhaps Jihoon did feel like going to get a cup of coffee. It wasn’t as bad if he added a shit ton of creamer and sugar to it. Jihoon stared at the floor, retracing the patterns in the tiles with his eyes- anything to take his mind off of the question.

And there was that voice. “No, you don’t.” It was a simple retort. Nice and clean. Straight to the point. “You don’t like tea. You hate coffee.” He continues it, ignoring Jihoon’s stupid expressions, still acting like the suave motherfucker he knew he was. “It’s okay. I’ll try again another day.” He commented, throwing his own bag over his shoulder and walking out of the practice room. It left Jihoon speechless (not like he wasn’t from the start), and hurt his cheeks so much that they felt like they were on fire. There was a slip of paper sitting on the small industrial table that housed many of Jihoon’s scrapped ideas that would one day be put to good use. He walked over to it and picked it up. There was an unknown address on it that Jihoon assumed was the coffee shop that Junhui would’ve taken him to. It wasn’t far from the studio- in fact it was only walking distance.

Jihoon laughed nervously to himself. What an idiot he was to reject the offer.

**…**

It was very rushed, but Jihoon had finally made up his mind. Yes. He would go and drink some of that horrible demon liquid with Jun (as he had finally decided to call him. Junhui was a bit too much for the Korean man.)  He had checked his reflection in a nearby window, shrugging to himself as he saw a few bags under his eyes. At least he still had his hair to make up for it.

Rush hour had hit Seoul, as taxis, buses and motorcycles clogged up the busy, winding streets near the sidewalks, horns honking and people busily walking as if there was only a day left in the world to live. If you bumped into someone there was no time to say sorry. Everyone had somewhere to go. Jihoon secretly wondered if China was like this.

After arriving at the entrance, Jihoon was surprised to see how nicely built the shop was. There were so domany in Seoul, Jihoon really didn’t understand how people could only go to one. Once he opens the door, a soothing smell hits him. It reminds him of his home back in Busan. His mother would always light a fire, and they would sit next to it and watch the snow fall to the ground. Faint scents of cinnamon and nutmeg also filled the room. Jihoon shakes his head. Those memories were all in the past. Nothing would really change the fact that he had went to Seoul. Besides, it was best not to think about it.

A taller man with short, purple hair who is cleaning some of the counters in the back looks up at him and smiles brightly. He has a baby face, and beads of sweat line his nose. Jihoon can see that there’s still a spark of youth in the other’s eyes and he almost envies him. Not quite- but almost. Jihoon looks around the shop. It’s mostly empty, a couple of random people sitting in the corners of the room. Most of them have laptops out and primarily there for a source of caffeine and free wifi. He doesn’t blame them. Jihoon does that all the time.

A slight chuckle comes from the man as he walks up to a few of the customers, and quietly tells them something. They all grumble and slowly pack their things. Once everyone has left the doors close, and Jihoon hears the purple-haired man lock the doors. He turns around and sees the man smile and motions for him to take a seat in a two-person table in front of the shop. He does.

“So! Jun told me about you. I’m Myungho, but please call me Minghao. It’s quite annoying when people use my Korean name, you see? It doesn’t sound quite right. You won’t like it when I’m annoyed.” He smiles, clasping both hands together and resting his chin on his palms. Mingle (or however it was pronounced) would’ve scared Jihoon, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was used to people like Minihouse. Years of being teased for his height and passion had helped mold him into who he was.

“Ok then, Meningitis. How do you know Jun…?” Jihoon carefully says, totally butchering Minghao’s name in the process. He can see the corners of Minghao’s mouth twitch once he says the first word, but nothing else changes.

“It’s Minghao, and why should I tell you? But since you’re so curious,” His eyes roll back, “I’ll tell you. Let’s see. How did I meet the poor boy? Ah yes, I remember now. It was quite the day, I think it was back in Hong Kong. I was there for vacation, and Jun was there because… Well, it’s Jun. We hit it off, of course. Dear lord, let me tell you- he was a great talker. In the streets, and in the sheets. Oh, don’t let that get you down.” He paused to laugh at Jihoon’s expression, which had taken a turn during the last few sentences.

“Well, yeah. We dated for a while. Then we both moved to Korea. I guess it really wasn’t meant to be. He wanted to be famous. I just wanted to get a nice coffee shop. So- here we are.” As soon as he finished, Jihoon had already stood up, face blank.

Taking a deep breath, he put on the worst smile he could ever imagine. “Well it’s nice meeting you, but frankly, I have no idea what I’m doing here. Bye!” Jihoon headed straight for the door, accelerating at increasing speeds. Behind him, he could hear Mintyhands crying out something inaudible. Like Jihoon cared. After giving it a quick thought, Jihoon turned his head around to see what all the commotion was about. It was too late, as the last thing he felt was the sharp slam of a door into his head, body crashing to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahAH i now realize the need for a proofreader was undoubtedly very high, and i have a shit ton of writing mistakes wowie
> 
> but honestly do i even have a plot here??? not really tbh
> 
> (rip minghao 2k16)


	5. four

“Idiot. Did you really have to open the door with such force? I’m not paying if he sues you.” Minghao nagged, letting out exasperated sighs in attempt to scold Junhui. The other Chinese man looked to the side, not wanting to confront him. “And I don’t even know why you told me to keep the guy here. It’s not like he was going to run away.” Minghao stops for a moment, then grumbles “Then again he did try to as soon as I told him about us, but whatever.”

 

Jun chuckles quietly at the last part, putting a fist to his forehead. “You’re an idiot. I can’t believe you told him that we were a thing. This is why I can never get a date.” A small sigh escapes his mouth. “When do you think he’ll wake up?”

 

“I don’t know. Try kissing him, maybe he’ll wake up after he tastes your gross lips.”

 

“Shut up.” Junhui scowls, playfully shoving Minghao (and totally ignoring the limp body lying on the couch, a wet towel over his head and a huge bruise on the back of his head.) You’d think that there would be an even awkward position to lay in, but the one Jihoon is currently splayed in has to be the worst. The position looks uncomfortable for the neck; it’s a miracle that he isn’t awake yet. They both continue to quarrel for quite some time, and it goes on for quite a long time. Perhaps it would’ve been better to check on Jihoon. Oh well.

 

**…**

 

It takes Jihoon 3 seconds to figure out where he is. The 2 seconds prior to that is just him wondering why there’s a cold towel on his forehead. Muffled words come from another room, and he assumes that it’s Jun and Mythology. The words they utter sound like gibberish, and he guesses that they’re speaking their native tongue. A frown is now on Jihoon’s face, and he doesn’t understand why. Was this jealousy? No, that would be idiotic of him. He viewed Jun as an amazing singer, no more, no less. There was anything to be envious about (besides his fantastic voice.)

 

Carefully, he places the towel on a nearby table. His bag is gone (oh dear lord, his bag with all those documents), and what’s worse is that Jihoon knows that if he goes to work without his bag, Jeonghan would surely tattle on him. He doesn’t know what’s worse- listening to Seungcheol’s lectures or watching paint dry. Either way, both of them made Jihoon cranky, and he really didn’t have the time to do any of that with the busy schedule he led. He’d rather be fired then listen to the man ramble on about proper work etiquette and how foolish of him it was to lose his bag. Idiot.

 

Jihoon silently thanks Jun, or whoever placed him on the couch for leaving his shoes on, as he wonders what horrible reactions would’ve happened if they saw his socks (he hasn’t bought new ones in a few months, they’re broken and covered in holes.) He makes the quick decision to leave his bag here. If he distracted himself in his work, maybe Jeonghan wouldn’t notice the bag that he always carried around was missing. Maybe he wouldn’t notice that his phone wasn’t on him. Maybe he wouldn’t.

Speak of the devil; there’s silence as a small tune plays in the nearby room. It’s a song- quite catchy actually. Jihoon immediately recognizes this as his phone. He likes to give every one of his contacts different ringtone. He considers himself _artistic_ for thinking of this before anyone else could, as most ringtones had sentimental meaning- something that represented the person’s personality or interests. But this one was quite embarrassing. Maybe he shouldn’t have set Jisoo’s ringtone to PonPonPon. Perhaps he should’ve set it when he was more sober. Oh well.

  
And that’s when Jihoon decides he has to make a run for it. Not caring about whether or not they’ll pick up the phone, not caring if they rummage through his bag, he darts out of the room, Turning his head and shoving himself out the door. It’s a cold day, and perfect weather to walk Caramel out in the local park. But that’s not on his mind. What is the nearest bus, and where it’ll take him. Thankfully, far away from the café. He takes the few bills stuck in his back pocket out and quickly hands it to the box that collects money. After sitting down, a loud sigh follows. It would be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM NOT DEaD????? honestly my roomie broke my computer (special shout out to irene- thanks man) and yeah honestly i had a huge writers block bUT I LIKE THE NEXT CHAPTER SO THIS WAS A TOTAL FILLER (i mean it isnt because plot but i dk what to do with this)
> 
> ok so for the proofreader thing im planning on getting another but idk if i want to make a form and i might not have time because of this meanie thing (yes i am participating in meanie stop youre welcome) but yeah idk


	6. five

“Do you know how disrespectful it is to arrive at work without the proper materials?” Seungcheol starts, putting a hand on a desk. Jihoon wants to kill himself. “I could fire you for this, you know?” He repeats, sighing. “But I’m not going to. You’re a good worker and friend, Jihoon. Though don’t think I’ll let you off all the time because we’re close. Just remember to…” The last few words are cut off by Jihoon’s train of thought as he starts messing around with the many items splayed all over his desk.

30 minutes later, the lecture is over (the shortest one so far) and Jihoon is finally alone in his office. He silently thanks Seungcheol for it. Being longtime friends, Seungcheol knew that Jihoon liked to be alone while working, and was best with no distractions. A small groan escapes his lips, staring at the ceiling in anguish. Oh yes. This is exactly how he wants to die. It’s perfect- the last words him uttering being ‘fuck me’. How glorious.

In the course of 3 hours, Jihoon gets almost nothing done. Perhaps it is because a lack of motivation, but he just does not feel up to it. So it’s back to playing games on his desktop and silently wanting to die. It’s just a normal Monday for him.

A loud noise pulls Jihoon away from his worries, and he is not surprised to see Jeonghan standing in front of his desk, two cheap plastic cups in his hand. He sets one of them down, and takes a small sip out of the other. The room smells like office coffee, but once Jihoon peers inside the cup, it’s filled to the brim with boiling water. Jeonghan takes a seat in the chair facing the desk. His other hand holds a phone, which he immediately starts scrolling through without a word.

“Hey. Have you heard?” He finally speaks up, after Jihoon has swallowed a few drops of the water and is now tentatively staring at the ceiling. “That new kid- what’s his name… Junhui right? I’m pretty sure Soonyoung has a thing for him. Do you see the way he looks at him all the time? God, he’s so thirsty.” An incoherent mutter follows, but he soon continues with the one-sided conversation. “I bet the kid likes him back. They look cute together anyways.” He laughs this off like it’s a simple joke.

If only it were that simple.

“Ah. Earth to Jihoon. Are you still there?” Jeonghan calls out after being done with the weekly gossip, waving a hand in front of Jihoon’s face. How has time passed by so quickly? “I’m leaving. You better thank me for that water.” And he’s gone, just like that. Jihoon isn’t mad. No really, he isn’t. His cup is still half full, and it takes him the rest of the day to finish it. He skips lunch, questionable looks received by coworkers as he exits the building (he usually stuffs his face out in the break room.) Maybe the comments received from Jeonghan had helped in a way. He would have to remind himself to thank the man later.

Before he exits the building, he stops in the middle of the lobby, staring at the clump of people at the side of the room. Inside the ever-growing circle stands both Soonyoung and Jun (what did he expect, fucking puppies?), **_holding hands_** and smiling and talking to various people that Jihoon swears he knows but can’t pull names out of his head. He grimaces, and hastily walks out of the building.

One step out the door, and he knows he’s made a huge mistake. There are puddles everywhere, and rain seems to be pouring out of every crevasse in the building. Jihoon takes a step back, groaning loudly- loud enough for the people lounging in the lobby to shoot uncertain glares at him. He can feel their stares burning into his back, and an even louder sigh follows.

Ah. What a shame. He forgot his umbrella in his bag. How convenient was that?

Jihoon braces himself for the worse, reminding himself that since he has nothing on him, the only thing can possibly be ruined is his hair and clothes. Impeccable. A sudden force pulls him back by the collar, and Jihoon is face to face with the person he dreads the most.

“Ah. Junhui. How are you doing? We haven’t met this week. Are you keeping up with the daily voice practices?” Jihoon nonchalantly comments, hands twisted together in a nervous wreck. A small chuckle escapes his mouth, and he immediately shuts up. It’s as if the whole lobby gets quiet, everyone’s eyes on the two men near the doors.

“What are you doing?” Jun avoids the question smoothly, letting go of Jihoon’s shirt collar and taking a step back. “Here. We can share this umbrella. God knows you need it.” He mutters the last part, and a medium-sized umbrella is in his left hand. The umbrella is faintly familiar, as if Jihoon has seen it in the small expensive boutiques in the corners of town. He remembers seeing a flower shop and a tattoo parlor also in the same area, at laughs at how stupid it was. Now that he thinks of it- didn’t Minghao look a bit like the man in the parlor?

Jihoon awkwardly nods, following Jun as they both step outside into the rain, avoiding cars and getting splashed along the way. The bus stop is a few minutes away, and Jihoon takes the time to ask Jun whatever he can think of.

“Hey, Junhui. Where did you move from? How long have you been in Korea? What’s your favourite food here?” The questions tumble out of his mouth, and the expression on Jun’s face doesn’t change. That was Jihoon’s favourite quality about Jun.

It’s still silent, apart from the taxis coming and going and people talking loudly on their phones. It takes a while before the man speaks up. “Aren’t you noisy? Well,” He stops midway, but soon continues, “I’m from China. You know this. I’ve lived here for a couple years, maybe 3? I don’t know anymore.” There’s a sort of grim aura when he speaks, as if he dreads the fact that he’s forgotten how long it’s been since he’s arrived in the country. “But I love those jelly snacks.” A small smile creeps up onto his face at the thought of the sweet, sweet taste of lychee jelly.

It’s terribly awkward with the silence and all. Then there’s this horrendous laugh that comes from Jun, and Jihoon can’t help but grotesquely stare at the man he’s apparently agreed to follow for the next few minutes. “I forgot! How idiotic of me.” Jun sarcastically throws out, and lifts up his right hand to reveal Jihoon’s work bag (it _was not_ a purse.) “Sorry about it. Minghao is a unique individual. I must stop asking him to arrange dates for me.” His lips curve into a cat-like smile, as he shoves the bag into Jihoon’s hands. “Oh, look at that! The bus is here already. We should hurry.” Before he knows it Jihoon is being dragged onto the bus, and he doesn’t even have time to pay. It seems that Jun has already paid for the bus fee.   

Should Jihoon be grateful or mad? He doesn’t know. His eyes flutter around the bus as if he hasn’t been on the same one for the last few years. The same people sit in the same seats, except for the fact that Jun and Jihoon are both sitting next to each other.

**…**

They’re both off the bus, and Jihoon doesn’t waste any time to complain. First off, why hadn’t Jun given him the bag at work? Okay. There was actually a bit of reasoning to that but still. It annoyed him. Secondly, what was Minghao’s relationship with Jun? Most of these questions already had answered but Jihoon was still going to continue. Was Soonyoung really dating Jun (where did these accusations even come from?) Did Jun even enjoy singing? Most of the other questions were just as pointless. 

It did manage to stifle a laugh from Jun, as he ignored the other, umbrella still hovering over both of their heads. It was a miracle how they both stayed dry under it, as the object was cheap and a few patched up holes and tatters were displayed through the front. He sweetly chuckled when Soonyoung was brought up, and spoke up since they had first boarded the bus.

“Who told you that?” He muttered, barely audible by the sound of rain hitting the ground. He closed his eyes for a moment, as to think of something else to say. Jihoon opened his mouth to respond to this, but couldn’t find anything to say. Sure, Jeonghan had told him a few rumours, but was it accurate information? Nothing in the man’s expression or gestures gave away anything,  It frustrated Jihoon. Usually he was the one who didn’t betray his feelings. Now he was the love-struck school girl that desperately needed to get fucked.

“I don’t know. I guess I… Fuck. You’re a bastard.” Jihoon finally gives up, wrangling his keys from his back pocket and shoving a random one into the lock. Somehow, the key works, as it easily twists and the door is open. Jihoon strides in, hesitantly thanking Jun for the umbrella (should he?) They both arrive to their respected rooms, before exchanging quick glances and nods.

Before Jihoon enters his blessed living room, he stops to ask Jun something. “Ah. But you are dating Soonyoung, right?” Jun has already entered his room, but comes back out to answer.

“Don’t worry about it.” He says, grabbing Jihoon’s wrist. Jihoon finds himself being pulled closer to the man, both of their faces inches away from each other. Ah, but Jihoon wasn’t a hoe- he knew his boundaries. So they both stand there, eyes fixed on anything but the other.

“ ** _Fuck_**.” Jihoon hisses, taking his arm out of the man’s grasp. “I’m not that thirsty.” And delivers a slap to Jun’s face.

 

 

 

Jun still stands in the hallway, wondering what went wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow okay!!!!! so this chapter didnt turn out how it was supposed to be
> 
> also sorry for writing like a fucking snail but the cbx debut and literally me getting into got7 and nct life got me so #shook
> 
> but i guess this is a 'present' for america. y'all gonna need it tomorrow
> 
>  
> 
> literally there is no plot to this fic so yw


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